“Daddy!That Daddy!”She bounces in my lap and claps her little hands.
“Oh my gosh, she’s so adorable!”Liliana coos, placing her hand over her heart.“When did she learn to say daddy?”
“We’ve been practicing a lot.”I grin, loving how she’s already learning new things from me.
We watch as Jamie connects with the ball and sends it sailing through the air.He races towards first base, then around to second before the ball gets thrown back to the pitcher.Tali shrieks and claps her hands, more than excited to see Jamie playing, though I know she doesn’t really understand what’s happening.
“How are things going with Jamie?”Liliana asks, her eyes never leaving the game.
“I'm happy, Lils.Really happy.”I press a soft kiss to the top of Tali’s head and let out a sigh.
“How’s Jamie?He seems like a great guy, but I don’t know him as well as I know the other guys.”
“Amazing.He’s pretty much perfect.He pays attention to everything and cares so deeply.I’ve never met another person like that.”
“I'm glad you’ve found someone like him.I always worried you’d end up with Wheeler.”She glances down at her hands like the idea is terrible.
“You know Wheeler’s a great guy.”
“Yeah, but he wasn’t right for you.He’ll make an amazing husband to someone else.”
I nod my head, understanding what she’s saying.Just because he’s great, doesn’t mean he’s great for me.Sometimes I think that’s the hardest thing to accept when it comes to someone you love.I’ll never stop loving Wheeler, but I don’t love him the same way I love Jamie.
My heart skips a beat as my thoughts wash over me.
I love Jamie Schmidt.
“Winnie?Are you ok?”Liliana leans closer, trying to catch my gaze.She waves a hand in front of my face, but all I can do is blink at her.“Ok, you need to answer me, or I'm calling… Well, I don’t really know who I’d call because all of our friends are on the field right now.”She gestures to the game in front of us.“But that won't stop me from marching down to the dugout and forcing Schmidt to come up here.”
“I love him,” I whisper, still trying to come to terms with it.
“I know you do, sweetie.”Liliana smiles at me.
“No!I'm serious, Lils!I love him.Not like I loved Wheeler, I love him more.I think he’s it for me.”
“I thought so.You’re different with him.More like the girl I’d hang out with in the dorms long after everyone else went to bed.”
“I feel at home with him.”
“And it shows.I think Schmidt’s in this for the long haul too.”
“I really hope so.I'm not sure I could walk away from either one of them if I tried.”I settle back in my seat and hold Tali a little closer.She rests her head on my shoulder and watches the game until Jamie’s face appears on the screen again.Then, she sits up and points, while squealing ‘Daddy’ each and every time.
Chapter 23
Schmidt
Assoonasthegame is over, I race to the locker room to get showered and changed.I’ve never been this excited to see someone after a game.
“Whoa, what’s the rush, Schmidt?”Covey chuckles as I race past him to the showers.
“My little girl came to the game.”I grin as I move past him and set my things down in the stall.
“Dang, I'm not sure I’ve ever seen you this happy.”Cord pats me on the back as he follows me into the shower area.Each stall has its own shower with a shower curtain, but we tend to still talk to each other.
“I’ve always wanted to bring her, but Martha never wanted to come and I didn’t want anyone to know about Tali.”
“Aren't you glad you have Winnie?”Smithy joins us and quickly washes the sweat out of his hair.He doesn’t even bother shutting his curtain, he doesn’t care about privacy.
